By Joanne Rae Ramirez
The lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic has kept the majority of the world staying alive by staying home.
Ever since I can remember, venturing out of our homes or comfort zones was the way to go, to survive, to make a living, to make a name for one’s self, to achieve one’s dreams. And then suddenly, a deadly virus has kept us under house arrest.
But this lockdown was also like a blackboard, a whiteboard, of lessons clearly spelled out.
On my part, these past 60 days have unlocked the child in me, the child that easily adjusts to the circumstances around her. I easily made friends with my new routine, balancing domestic diva duties with work-from-home obligations. I had to bring out both the Martha Stewart and the Anna Wintour in me — but without lipstick and Prada. I made a career out of creating fancy tablescapes and baking pies for my audience of two — my husband and son — while continuing on with writing and editing duties.
I don’t fear the “new normal” as much as I used to, because the lockdown taught me that like children, we can bloom and grow wherever we’re planted — we just have to turn our faces toward the sun. Our source of light.
I have asked some prominent personalities to share what the 60-day lockdown has taught them about themselves.
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Lawyer Albert Arcilla, the president and CEO of Volvo Philippines and managing director of Chevrolet Philippines, a man perennially on the move, discovered during the lockdown that he could stay still — and wait for the light to turn green.
“I learned that though I’m not a COVID patient, I am patient,” says Albert. “More than I thought I already was.”
“I had the patience to wait out the ECQ, the patience to work focused on my laptop for hours, patience to learn Zoom, patience to learn more programs and apps, patience to fix all my old files and photos and patience to scroll through all the available Netflix shows.
“Most importantly I have the patience to wait for my Lord for the cure and vaccine.”
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Aside from going to the frontlines themselves, Doctors Aivee Aguilar Teo and Z Teo have kept busy arranging, donating and delivering PPE donations to frontliners during the past two months. Aivee and Z have also found in the lockdown precious time to bond with their three children.
“The lockdown has taught me that life is uncertain. We have to learn to accept that there are things that are not within our control and rather than despair, we have to try to thrive in the situation that we have and make the most of it,” begins Aivee.
“At the same time, I realized that we should put value on the important things in life, which are not necessarily material. It is our faith, family and building meaningful relationships and trying to make a significant difference in this world.”
Z, a cosmetic surgeon who has also served in the Singapore Army, says the lockdown has taught him to make important choices.
“We can either be negative or positive, to thrive or to die. We can make this situation so much more meaningful if we only look at things with a different eye. I have learned to embrace the circumstances around me and use them to innovate and be productive.”
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Entrepreneur Bettina Osmeña proclaimed optimistically during her recent birthday, “Bring it on, sixties! I look forward to the new decade.”
Bettina sums up her lockdown lessons in three key words: Resourcefulness, Resilience and Acceptance.
“Resourcefulness. I had to find other avenues for my business and home needs as I did not want to endanger the lives of my staff who were used to buying from the grocery stores.
“Resilience. We all adapted to the new normal of working from home.
“Acceptance. While my food business is doing well, my other two businesses that were doing even better than my food business suddenly went on pause. The future is uncertain but my faith remains steadfast that God will take care of me and my employees.”
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If there was one person who has been busy as a bee working from home, it is Jose Paolo dela Cruz, managing editor of PeopleAsia magazine. But, he misses working NOT from home.
“I realized that I enjoyed the old normal more than I thought I did,” admits Paolo. “I miss dressing up for work, going out with friends, the crowded malls and endless queues at the airport.
“I realized this a couple of weeks into the lockdown when my friends and I started having e-numans (to recreate our usual Friday nights in Poblacion); and when I’d start dressing up in my office clothes to psych myself up when the day’s work-from-home itinerary is more loaded than usual.
“Also, I realized that I’m really not an active person and working out at home — away from a proper gym — is a real bore.”
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Hera Geriene, who is a wife, a mother of two and a gifted painter, found herself separated from 50 percent of her family during lockdown — her husband French-American businessman Marc Geriene and their eldest child Mara, both of whom were in the US when the local lockdown was implemented. Still, she found meaning in her temporary solitude with son, Jean.
“The lockdown caused me to slow down, which in turn allowed me to appreciate more the people that contribute so much to making our lives better, the helpers, the guards and most of all, the essential workers in grocery stores and pharmacies, along with other frontliners who show up at work in spite of the risks.” As her appreciation for them grew, so did her desire to help them.
“I’ve also experimented with cooking new dishes and let my son be the crash test dummy. So far, so good,” she shares proudly.
While she misses attending Mass and being with her husband and daughter, she turns to video calls and YouTube to, “fill in the gaps.”
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Yes, somehow, we have all learned to “fill in the gaps” and empty spaces in our lives by reaching out to the deepest depths of ourselves; by being there for our loved ones and those who need our help most. The lockdown may have unlocked the best in us.
